Running Head : Hispanic /Latino Elderly Issues the Impact Hispanic /Latino Elderly Population Michael Reed Institution Dr . Dorthy Staskey , Ph .D .Sociology 360-Sociocultural Aging Abstract There are many health issues that confronts the Hispanics /Latino elderly population in the United States . Among them are diabetes and dementia . This paper will deal with the various issues that have an effect on the Hispanic /Latino elderly population in the United States .Issues the Impact Hispanic /Latino Elderly Population During the last decade , the Latino community has grown twice as much in terms of size and has made its presence felt in nearly all sector from music to food , apparels , books , and movies . As the number of Hispanic /Latinos continue to increase , more and more establishments are beginning to understand the importance of having Spanish-English bilingual speakers in their fold (Credit Union National Association ,n .d . Since 1990 , Hispanic /Latino population originating from Central or South America in the United States has gone up 5 .6 percent with Mexicans , Puerto Ricans , and Cubans still comprising more than fifty percent of the Hispanic population (Credit Union National Association ,n .d . Here are some facts and figures about this group of people :An estimated 27 million Hispanics /Latinos live in the United States and the number continues to grow . Hispanic /Latinos are the second largest minority group in the United States (Oak Ridge Institute , 1997 .Mexican-Americans comprise the largest Hispanic /Latino population in the United States making up 64 followed by Puerto Ricans , Central and South Americans , and Cubans in that order (Oak Ridge Institute , 1997 .Most Hispanic /Latinos reside in 20 urban areas in 10 states namely California , Texas , Florida , Illinois , New York , Arizona , Massachusetts ,New Jersey , Colorado , and New Mexico (Oak Ridge Institute , 1997 .Hispanics have Indian , European , and African origin . They are culturally diverse (Office of Minority Health , 1997 .Puerto Ricans are regarded as American citizens . “Operation Bootstrap ‘paved the way for annual migrations of thousands of Puerto Ricans to agricultural farms in the Northeast . From 1970 to 1990 , many Hispanics returned to Puerto Rico because of decreasing economy in the United States (Office of Minority Health , n .d .Colombians have been flocking to the United States since 1950s due to economic reasons . Meanwhile , Dominicans have been migrating in the United States since the 1960s after the latter supported a military coup in the Dominican Republic (Office of Minority Health , 1997 .On a national level , Hispanics are four to six times more likely to read English below fourth grade than the entire US population . They have low literacy rate when it comes to Spanish as the rate of literacy would depend on the socioeconomic background and education of the individual (Office of Minority Health , 1997 .Issues Surrounding Hispanic /Latino Elderly Population Health Issues While the Hispanics /Latinos are the largest minority group in the United States , they continue to face a wide range of challenges that have an impact on their lives . One of the most crucial challenges is the aspect of health…